Barrel block question

UncleB
Could you explain to me "throat seemed to firecrack prematurely, leaving me and others to speculate the worth of a barrel block". How would a block effect firecracking, I don't undertsand?

Thanks

The barrel blocks (at least in an unfluted, polished design) seem to keep heat in the throat and speed up the erosion process. At least, this happened in this particular barrel. But it may have just been the fact that 95 grains of double based powder was trying to go down a 338 caliber hole behind a 300 grain bullet. Who knows, but my new current 338 barrel has shot about this much powder all along and has more than doubled the barrel life expectancy of B's barrel showed but it does not have a block and has a carbon wrap by ABS.

Makes sense. Whats carbon wrap?
Tell me if I'm thinking straight. I look at 34" of 1.45 barrel hanging off of 1 or even 1+1/2 inches of thread just doesn't seem like enough to hold the barrel especially with, like you said all that powder and 300 smk.. It seems to me like a block would be necessary but alot of very experienced people say different. I quess we could always add a block if it needs it.
Thanks for sharing your exp. with me!

IF a customer came to me with this plan, This is what I would recommend instead of a barrel block design from what I have seen.

Receiver, take a Bat Model M 8.5"x 1.55" receiver.

Make some custom Stainless Steel Pillars, I prefer 1" diameter recessed to 5/8" where they can be seen at the bottom of the stock. There are three main support bolts on a BAT receiver of this size.

barrel would be anything you wanted in a top quality barrel. Barrel length would be 30", 32" at max. The reason, you will not gain anything meaningful going longer and all you loose is barrel stiffness and add stress to the receiver and bedding system. I have tested my huge 338 AM with its 150 gr powder capacity. I have tested the same load in a 40", 36" and 32" barrel length. With the 265 gr AT RBBT, 145 gr of H50BMG produced 3545 fps in the 40" barrel, 3495 fps in the 36" barrel and 3460 fps in the 32" barrel. Now this is a chambering with nearly 50% larger powder capacity then the 338 Lapua Improved and the velocity loss is barely over 10 fps per inch of barrel loss from 40" to 32" in barrel length.

My point, this rifle will be made for extreme percision, the BAT receiver with a stainless steel pillar bedding system will easily handle a 30 to 32" 1.450" fluted barrel with nothing more in bedding.

Also, you can put it into a stock that is much more appropriate for this class of rifle, The BBR tooley 1000 yard BR stock is a perfect choice for this type of rifle. It has a higher CP then the 50LBR stock so its more comfortable to shoot, it is plenty large in the areas it needs to be for strength and consistancy, it rides just as well in the bags with a proper rear bag design and the trigger will drop down to where it should be in this stock, unlike the overly thick 50LBR stock that causes the trigger to hang down much less then it should.

If you decide to go with a carbon wrapped barrel, the need for a block of any kind is even less important as the barrel has alot less mass so the receiver supports the barrel much easier.

Only thing I would warn about the ABS barrels, they are hard as hell to get. They are expensive and it can be a fight just to get a barrel. I have two of them that will be on order for over a year come the first of the year with no sign of them showing up in spite of endless squeakin the wheel!!!

Plus the cost of their "big bore" carbon wrapped barrels is nearly $1100 from the last price list I saw. Even if the barrel life is 50% longer then an all steel barrel, which they are not, you could still get two all steel barrels for the same price as the ABS and have more rounds to shoot as well.

Just my opinion. If the barrels were easy to get and less expensive, they would be a steal, but as they are, I can not recommend them to customers at this time. Just to may headaches to get the barrels. They are great barrels and its hard to say I can not recommend them but I simply can not in good conscience to someone looking for a barrel.

With that weight barrel, I would say you could never tell the consistancy difference between it and a heavy V-Blocked rifle.

Plus you would be dealing with a 25 to 28 lb class rifle instread of a +60 lb rifle which believe me, even just taking from the truck to the bench makes alot of difference and a 25 to 28 lb rifle is plenty for shooting at any range. Built correctly, even an 18 lb class rifle can accurately shoot to 3000 yards(when chambered for the correct wildcat!!!)

Again, not trying to talk you out of anything, just offering another opinion on what I have seen works best for this class of wildcat.

Thanks for the info.. I already have the 10x2" Bat. Tha barrel has been ordered but Mark could cut it down and flute it, The Mcmillan 50 hbr is ordered so is the scope its a usoptics sn9 10-42x it has 235 moa of elevation. I know Mark does excellent work but will ask about the Stainless steel pillar bedding system. The trigger and guard are same we just never spoke of the brake but I'll mention it to Mark as well.
Thankyou for sharing your knowledge
Vinny

If you have the BAT 10x2 receiver, you need no barrel block of any kind. How can I say this with so much confidence....

My Black Sunshine, 338 Allen Magnum, has a 1.750" straight cylinder barrel, 40" finish length screwed to a BAT 10x2 and the barrel is completely floated. Now this is a toad of a barrel, nearly 25 lbs just in barrel.

At 100 yards, it shoots in the high .1's, low .2's and thats with a 265 gr AT RBBT at 3560 fps. It will drive the 300 gr SMK to 3450 fps with same accuracy. At half mile, 1/2 moa is pretty easy to get, in fact I have shot several 1/5 and a couple 1/10 moa groups!!!

I have shot enough 1/2 moa groups at 1000 yards that I know the rifle system is stable. I have also taken rockchucks at 1095, 2100 and 2370 yards with this rifle, again with nothing but a conventional pillar bedding system using my custom large diameter stainless steel pillars with the huge barrel fully floated.

Since you have the BAT 10x2, there is no need at all for anything but a conventional bedding system with stout pillars. Any barrel you have talked about will not even begin to strain that receiver. All that given that you use a stock stout enough to support the weight of the barrel.

With the BAT 10x2, you will need a BMG stock, big mac, 50LBR or 50 HBR. I prefer the 50LBR with that receiver just because its easier to get front rests to work with it.

Thanks Kirby
That makes me feel better. I guess the only thing I need to discuss with Mark is the "custom large diameter stainless steel pillars". If memory serves me, I think he mentioned something about a stainless bedding system or studs or something to that effect.
Thanks again
Vinny
Black Sunshine must be a cannon! Love it!!!!!!